Florida Inmate Charged With Orchestrating $40K Hit on Key Witness
“It’s just a heinous crime.” – Lt. Mireya Iannuzzi, Ocoee Police Department
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida inmate serving a 22-year sentence is now accused of masterminding the execution-style killing of a key witness set to testify against him in a major drug trafficking case. Samuel Wright, 37, was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday on first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder charges in connection with the 2022 killing of 41-year-old Mugen Pintar.
Murder to Silence a Witness
On May 15, 2022 just one day before Wright’s scheduled trial on drug trafficking charges a masked gunman approached Pintar’s home in Ocoee and shot him twice in the head at his front door. Inside, Pintar’s wife and children were present when the killing occurred. Lt. Mireya Iannuzzi of the Ocoee Police Department called the attack “a heinous crime” when speaking to WESH 2 at the time. According to an arrest affidavit, Wright began seeking a hitman approximately a year before the murder, offering money in exchange for Pintar’s death to ensure he would not testify.
The Key Witness
Investigators say Pintar was the most important witness in the state’s case against Wright. As a confidential informant for the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations, Pintar had conducted multiple controlled drug buys from Wright, providing critical evidence for prosecutors.
“Pintar was considered the most important witness in the case since he was the one who had done all the ‘hand-to-hand transactions’ with Samuel Wright,” the affidavit states.
The Alleged Hitman and the $40,000 Payout
Police allege Wright ultimately paid Jamarcus Lane $40,000 to carry out the murder, after initially offering $25,000. Lane, who is also facing murder charges, was arrested two days after the shooting on unrelated felony warrants. During that arrest, officers seized more than $37,000 in cash, most of it in thousand-dollar increments.
Prison Phone Evidence
The case gained momentum in February 2024, when a confidential source came forward with details of the murder plot. Investigators then began monitoring Wright’s prison phone calls including communications made on contraband cell phones.
“During intercepted and recorded calls, Wright talked freely in street coded language about the planning, execution, and the person hired to commit the act of shooting Pintar,” an Ocoee detective wrote in court documents.
Next Steps
Both Wright and Lane remain in the Orange County Jail. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty, but the first-degree murder charge makes it a possibility. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Ocoee Police Department or Central Florida Crimeline.
